Manchester United turmoil gives Mauricio Pochettino chance to rebuild, says Harry Redknapp

Harry Redknapp believes Mauricio Pochettino would have the ideal opportunity to restore Manchester United to the top because the club’s current problems would make his task different from that faced by managers who followed Sir Alex Ferguson.

Writing in the British newspaper The Sun, the former English manager described United as being “in a mess” but said there was no better time for Pochettino to take charge.

Redknapp said managers view such roles as opportunities that cannot be missed because, from United’s current position, the only way forward is to improve results and move upwards.

“Things can only get better for Manchester United with Pochettino there,” Redknapp wrote. “He certainly won’t take them down, he won’t do that.”

Redknapp recalled accepting the Tottenham Hotspur job in October 2008, when the club were enduring a disastrous start to the season. He said he had not hesitated when the opportunity was offered.

“When I was offered the Tottenham job and they were in trouble after the worst start in their history, it was a no-brainer,” he said.

He argued that Pochettino taking over immediately after Ferguson’s departure would have presented a very different challenge. In that situation, the Argentine would have been expected to improve a team that still possessed a major legacy and a high level of success.

Redknapp pointed to David Moyes, who was selected by Ferguson as his successor, adding that everyone knew how that appointment ended.

The former Tottenham manager also revealed that he has a friendly relationship with Pochettino. The pair share the same birthday, 2 March, and met on their birthdays when Pochettino was in charge of Southampton and Redknapp was managing Queens Park Rangers.

“We won!” Redknapp said.

He added that he had worked with Pochettino during the charity match Soccer Aid and described him as “very clever and extremely well-informed”.

Redknapp believes Pochettino and his assistant Jesus Perez could improve the atmosphere at Old Trafford and the training ground, bringing smiles back to the club. However, he stressed that their football intelligence and ability to build teams would be equally important in the next stage.

The main question, he said, was whether Manchester United’s leadership would give Pochettino the players he needs to succeed.

Redknapp called the current squad “shocking” and said even a great manager could achieve little with poor players. He added that any coach, regardless of their ability, would lose matches without the right personnel.

He also criticised those running the club, saying he struggled to understand some of the people responsible for appointing managers. Redknapp argued that confusion over recruitment and inconsistent decisions about coaching staffs had contributed significantly to United’s problems.

He was particularly critical of the way the club handled Carrick’s departure, describing it as “shocking”. Carrick, he said, had been a great player for Manchester United and a wonderful man, yet had been treated very badly, especially after news of his departure was leaked before the official announcement.